Tom Cruise Settles Scientology Lawsuit to Prevent Katie Holmes and Leah Remini from Testifying?

It appears that Tom Cruise, who has becomes synonymous with Scientology, has settled his lawsuit with Bauer Publishing. According to reports, this could have been done to prevent ex-wife Katie Holmes and Leah Remini from testifying against the actor.

International Business Times was among the first to report on the settlement, telling readers:

“According to reports, news of the settlement came through an e-mail by Lindsay Ferraro, a public relations consultant for Bauer Publishing, which owns In Touch and Life & Style magazines...Cruise dismissed the lawsuit in a California federal court on [last Friday]. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed but each party will reportedly have to pay its own legal fees.”

This caught many by surprise considering how adamant Tom was in the defamation case against In Touch. After all, the publication claimed that Tom had abandoned his daughter for his religion.

Of course, many suggested that things weren’t going well for Tom when TMZ reported about the courtroom antics. The wildly popular gossip site informed readers that Tom seemed on edge when asked if his religion played a role in his divorce from Katie Holmes:

“In the deposition...Cruise squirmed in his chair as the lawyer for the magazine repeatedly asked if Katie fled their marriage because of the Church. Cruise hemmed and hawed, suggesting it wasn't true, and then the lawyer asked whether "Katie Holmes left you in part to protect Suri from Scientology. Cruise answered: "Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes."

Another possible reason for the settlement is Leah Remini’s high-profile exit from the secretive religion. Since leaving the church, she has been spilling the beans on Scientology and a rumored book deal is in the works. According to Marty Rathbun, that could be bad news for Tom:

“If she writes a book, it won’t be good for Tom Cruise, because she’s had personal experience with him. The same goes for [Scientology head] David Miscavige and other execs.”

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